Multilateralizing regionalism

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated around the world in the past two decades, and now nearly all members of the WTO are party to at least one. Besides tariffs and rules of origin regulating trade in goods, many RTAs now include provisions on services, investments, technical barriers to trade and competition rules, as well as a host of issues not directly related to trade. The geographic reach of RTAs is expanding, with transcontinental agreements spreading forcefully alongside intra-regional agreements. 'Multilateralizing Regionalism' was the title of a major conference held from 10-12 September 2007 at the WTO in Geneva. Brought together in this publication, the conference papers achieve two things. First, they marshall detailed, new empirical work on the nature of the 'Spaghetti Bowl' and the problems it poses for the multilateral trade system. Second, they contribute fresh and creative thinking on how to 'tame the tangle' of regional trade agreements.

" ... conference held on 10-12 September 2007 at the WTO in Geneva"--Quatrième de couverture.

Foreword Pascal Lamy; Introduction Richard Baldwin and Patrick Low; Part I. Background to Regionalism: 1. An historical perspective of regionalism Theresa Carpenter; 2. The landscape of regional trade arrangements and WTO surveillance Roberto V. Fiorentino, Jo-Ann Crawford and Christelle Toqueboeuf; Part II. Multilateralisaton -- Prospects and Past Experience: 3. Beyond tariffs: multilateralising non-tariff RTA commitments Simon Evenett and Patrick Low; Comment S. Miroudot; 4. Multilateralising regionalism: lessons from the EU experience in relaxing rules of origin Michael Gasiorek; 5. The information technology agreement: sui generis or model stepping stone? Catherine Mann and Xuepeng Liu; Comment Alejandro Jara; Part III. Multilateralisation -- Sectors and Themes: 6. Services provisions in regional trade agreements: stumbling or building blocks for multilateral liberalization? Carsten Fink and Marion Jansen; 7. Harmonizing preferential rules of origin regimes around the world Jeremy Harris; Comment Olivier Cadot; 8. Legal avenues to 'multilateralising regionalism': beyond article XXIV Joost Pauwelyn; Part IV. Multilateralization -- Regional Perspectives: 9. Multilateralising reg…